Conservation park is a type of specially protected status for land held by the Crown for conservation

Conservation biology

Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...

 purposes.

In New Zealand this land is administered by the Department of Conservation

New Zealand Department of Conservation

The Department of Conservation , commonly known by its acronym, "DOC", is the state sector organisation which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage...

 (DoC) and was set up under the Conservation Act 1987

Conservation Act 1987

The Conservation Act 1987 is New Zealand's principal act concerning the conservation of indigenous biodiversity. The Act established the Department of Conservation and Fish and Game, and complements the National Parks Act 1980 and the Reserves Act 1997....

. As of 31 March 2005, New Zealand's Conservation parks consisted of 51 conservation units, covering an area of 1,541,281 hectares. Note that the DoC defines a conservation unit as "a standard grouping of parcels of land which is used in the Department’s National Land Register." A conservation park may consist of multiple conservation units.

List of Conservation Parks

• Ahuriri Conservation Park
• Aorangi
  Aorangi Range
  The Aorangi Range in south eastern Wairarapa is the southernmost mountain range in the North Island and extends more than 20 kilometres north from Cape Palliser...
  
   Forest Park (Wellington)
• Bay of Islands
  Bay of Islands
  The Bay of Islands is an area in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located 60 km north-west of Whangarei, it is close to the northern tip of the country....
  
   Historic and Maritime Park (Northland)
• Catlins Conservation Park
• Coromandel Forest Park (Waikato)
• Craigieburn Conservation Park
• Eyre Mountains/Taka Rā Haka Conservation Park
• Hakatere Conservation Park
• Hanmer Forest Conservation Park
• Hawea Conservation Park
  Hawea Conservation Park
  The Hawea Conservation Park is a protected area in the South Island of New Zealand.It was created in September 2008 from land that previously had a number of separate tenures. The majority of the land forming the park was public conservation land but some previously unallocated Crown land and land...
  
  
• Kaimai Conservation Park
• Kawatiri Conservation Park
• Kaimai Conservation Park
• Kaimanawa
  Kaimanawa Range
  The Kaimanawa Range of mountains is located in the central North Island of New Zealand. They extend for 50 kilometres in a northeast/southwest direction through largely uninhabited country to the south of Lake Taupo, east of the "Desert Road"...
  
   Forest Park (Tongariro/Taupo)
• Kaweka
  Kaweka Range
  The Kaweka Range of mountains is located in inland Hawke's Bay in the eastern North Island of New Zealand. It forms part of the mountainous spine of the North Island which runs from Wellington to East Cape, including the Tararua and Ruahine ranges.The range lies between the city of Napier, to the...
  
   Forest Park (East Coast/Hawkes Bay)
• Ka Whata Tu O Rakihouia Conservation Park
• Korowai Conservation Park
• Lake Sumner Conservation Park
• Mamaku Conservation Park
• Mavora Lakes Conservation Park
• Northland Forest
  Waipoua Forest
  Waipoua Forest preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.The forest was declared a sanctuary in 1952....
  
   Park (Northland)
• Pirongia
  Mount Pirongia
  Mount Pirongia is an extinct volcano located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene times...
  
   Forest Park (Waikato)
• Mount Richmond Forest Park (Nelson/Marlborough)
• Oteake Conservation Park
• Pureora Conservation Park
• Rakaia Conservation Park
• Raukumara Conservation Park
• Rimutaka
  Rimutaka Range
  The Rimutaka Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington.The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part of the island, where it consists of the Ruahine,...
  
   Forest Park (Wellington)
• Ruahine Forest Park
• Ruataniwha Conservation Park
• Tararua
  Tararua Range
  The Tararua Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....
  
   Forest Park (Wellington)
• Te Papanui Conservation Park
• Two Thumb Range Conservation Park
• Victoria Conservation Park
• Whakarewarewa Forest Conservation Park
• Whirinaki Conservation Park

Proposed

• Kawatiri Conservation Park
• Torlesse Conservation Park or a wider Foothills Conservation Park.